Inject this directly into your veins….
https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?ur...s+built+to+take+over+everything.+Starting+now
A monster that can take over the SEC.
“I came here to win a championship,” Sarkisian said earlier this month during a national signing day press conference. “And then if I can get one, I want to get two. I’m borderline obsessed with it at this point.”
Just like Nick Saban was when he arrived at Alabama. Or when Kirby Smart took over at his alma mater Georgia.
When the right coach is in the right situation — and everyone is pulling in the same direction — the results can be intoxicatingly devastating.
It should come as no surprise then that Texas last week made official its intentions of moving forward in Year 1 of the SEC — without hesitation or reservation. A 4-year contract extension for Sarkisian nearly doubled his salary (to $10.3 million annually), and laid out a clear vision of the future in the SEC.
Nick Saban is gone, and there’s a breach in the SEC. And guess who’s moving into town?
The greatest revenue-generating program in college sports, complete with a head coach recruiting in the geographic footprint of the richest state for high school talent, and NIL money to burn.
Or as one Power 5 coach told SDS, “It was only a matter of time before (Texas) got their s— together.”
As absolutely crazy as that sounds in the year-to-year grease fire of competing in the SEC, Sarkisian is about as close to a lock at winning a national title at Texas — much sooner than later — as anyone since the Mack Brown golden years of the 2000s.
Timing, everyone, is everything.
When Brown arrived at Texas, the program was stagnant, headed nowhere and bleeding elite recruits from the state of Texas. Legendary coach Darrell Royal told Brown Texas was like a box of BBs, and the box had fallen to the floor and split at the seams.
The job is getting all the BBs — from the president to the student managers washing the jerseys — back in the box together.
Texas nearly got there with Chris Simms, made it with Vince Young and could’ve gotten there again with Colt McCoy — in less than a decade. Brown, to this day, swears Texas beats Alabama in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game if McCoy isn’t injured and lost on the 1st drive of the game.
Then the box dropped to the floor again, and Charlie Strong couldn’t put all the BBs back in place. Tom Herman couldn’t, either.
Because when everyone pulls in the same direction, it’s nearly impossible to stop it from gaining championship traction. It’s inevitable.
That’s what we saw in 2023 with the Texas win at Alabama. What we saw with the Big 12 Championship, and the final 4 throws in the end zone in the last-second Playoff semifinal loss to Washington.
It’s only a matter of time before the next, final step of winning it all.
Saban’s retirement simply sped the process, and also helped Sarkisian secure a long-term deal for DC Pete Kwiatkowski, who was behind courted by NFL and college teams.
Investing in Sarkisian means investing in his plan, and where he wants to take Texas and how to get there. There’s too much positive momentum to make any drastic change in course.
Star quarterback Quinn Ewers decided to return for his final season instead of leaving for the NFL Draft, and his top backup — former No.1 overall recruit Arch Manning — stayed, too.
The Longhorns added a handful of impact players from the transfer portal (more on that later), and a 3rd straight top-5 high school signing class has the roster primed for another big season.
Not since Brown’s team won the 2005 national championship — after winning the Rose Bowl in 2004 — has Texas had this type of momentum. There was no chance Alabama was getting Sarkisian, no way Texas president Jay Hartzell and AD Chris Del Conte were heading into the SEC all hat, no cattle.
This is what happens when you’ve found what works and will do anything to keep it. This is how championship programs are built and sustained, how coaching careers are cultivated and strengthened and built for the long haul.
Not by throwing good money after bad in hopes of recreating what once was somewhere else. There’s a difference between throwing money at a coach whom you believe can win a championship — or reach the Playoff, or both — and one who has done it.
This is what winning looks like at the highest level of college football, and within the framework of the most profitable college sports program.
It’s only going to get better.
Every addition through the transfer portal over the past 2 months has been with pinpoint addition.
There were losses on the defensive interior, so Texas got DT Tiaoalii Savea of Arizona, a disruptive space eater over the 2nd half of the season for the Wildcats.
Texas got edge rusher Trey Moore from UTSA (14 sacks in 2023), and elite All-ACC safety Andrew Mukuba from Clemson.
And then the help for Ewers, a continuing process of building pieces around the star quarterback and giving him every opportunity to play at a high level.
Texas added WR Isaiah Bond and TE Amari Niblack from Alabama, and WRs Matthew Golden (Houston) and Silas Bolden (Oregon State). That’s 2 speedy options on the outside, a gifted slot receiver in Bolden, and an athletic matchup problem at tight end.
Every move was made with intent and purpose, not unlike what the Texas administration did by extending Sakisian and declaring its intentions. It’s a new time, a new day in the SEC.
And Texas is ready to fill the breach
First and 10: Dear SEC, Texas is built to take over everything. Starting now
Texas is ready to pounce on Nick Saban's retirement. Plus: SEC power rankings, every team's top hire, 9-game schedule and more.
www.saturdaydownsouth.com
First and 10: Dear SEC, Texas is built to take over everything. Starting now
Texas is ready to pounce on Nick Saban's retirement. Plus: SEC power rankings, every team's top hire, 9-game schedule and more.
www.saturdaydownsouth.com
First and 10: Dear SEC, Texas is built to take over everything. Starting now
Matt Hayes | 8 hours agohttps://twitter.com/intent/tweet?ur...s+built+to+take+over+everything.+Starting+now
1. I don’t want to get on a soapbox, but …
It’s all set up now. The timing is perfect, the investment has been made and Steve Sarkisian is on the way to building a monster at Texas.A monster that can take over the SEC.
“I came here to win a championship,” Sarkisian said earlier this month during a national signing day press conference. “And then if I can get one, I want to get two. I’m borderline obsessed with it at this point.”
Just like Nick Saban was when he arrived at Alabama. Or when Kirby Smart took over at his alma mater Georgia.
When the right coach is in the right situation — and everyone is pulling in the same direction — the results can be intoxicatingly devastating.
It should come as no surprise then that Texas last week made official its intentions of moving forward in Year 1 of the SEC — without hesitation or reservation. A 4-year contract extension for Sarkisian nearly doubled his salary (to $10.3 million annually), and laid out a clear vision of the future in the SEC.
Nick Saban is gone, and there’s a breach in the SEC. And guess who’s moving into town?
The greatest revenue-generating program in college sports, complete with a head coach recruiting in the geographic footprint of the richest state for high school talent, and NIL money to burn.
Or as one Power 5 coach told SDS, “It was only a matter of time before (Texas) got their s— together.”
As absolutely crazy as that sounds in the year-to-year grease fire of competing in the SEC, Sarkisian is about as close to a lock at winning a national title at Texas — much sooner than later — as anyone since the Mack Brown golden years of the 2000s.
Timing, everyone, is everything.
When Brown arrived at Texas, the program was stagnant, headed nowhere and bleeding elite recruits from the state of Texas. Legendary coach Darrell Royal told Brown Texas was like a box of BBs, and the box had fallen to the floor and split at the seams.
The job is getting all the BBs — from the president to the student managers washing the jerseys — back in the box together.
Texas nearly got there with Chris Simms, made it with Vince Young and could’ve gotten there again with Colt McCoy — in less than a decade. Brown, to this day, swears Texas beats Alabama in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game if McCoy isn’t injured and lost on the 1st drive of the game.
Then the box dropped to the floor again, and Charlie Strong couldn’t put all the BBs back in place. Tom Herman couldn’t, either.
Because when everyone pulls in the same direction, it’s nearly impossible to stop it from gaining championship traction. It’s inevitable.
That’s what we saw in 2023 with the Texas win at Alabama. What we saw with the Big 12 Championship, and the final 4 throws in the end zone in the last-second Playoff semifinal loss to Washington.
It’s only a matter of time before the next, final step of winning it all.
2. Building for the now
Sarkisian and Texas agreed in principle on the framework of an extension before Saban retired from Alabama — and before Tide AD Greg Byrne kicked the tires on the possibility of Sarkisian returning to Alabama.Saban’s retirement simply sped the process, and also helped Sarkisian secure a long-term deal for DC Pete Kwiatkowski, who was behind courted by NFL and college teams.
Investing in Sarkisian means investing in his plan, and where he wants to take Texas and how to get there. There’s too much positive momentum to make any drastic change in course.
Star quarterback Quinn Ewers decided to return for his final season instead of leaving for the NFL Draft, and his top backup — former No.1 overall recruit Arch Manning — stayed, too.
The Longhorns added a handful of impact players from the transfer portal (more on that later), and a 3rd straight top-5 high school signing class has the roster primed for another big season.
Not since Brown’s team won the 2005 national championship — after winning the Rose Bowl in 2004 — has Texas had this type of momentum. There was no chance Alabama was getting Sarkisian, no way Texas president Jay Hartzell and AD Chris Del Conte were heading into the SEC all hat, no cattle.
This is what happens when you’ve found what works and will do anything to keep it. This is how championship programs are built and sustained, how coaching careers are cultivated and strengthened and built for the long haul.
Not by throwing good money after bad in hopes of recreating what once was somewhere else. There’s a difference between throwing money at a coach whom you believe can win a championship — or reach the Playoff, or both — and one who has done it.
This is what winning looks like at the highest level of college football, and within the framework of the most profitable college sports program.
It’s only going to get better.
3. Texas takeover, The Epilogue
There was no wasted motion. No projects.Every addition through the transfer portal over the past 2 months has been with pinpoint addition.
There were losses on the defensive interior, so Texas got DT Tiaoalii Savea of Arizona, a disruptive space eater over the 2nd half of the season for the Wildcats.
Texas got edge rusher Trey Moore from UTSA (14 sacks in 2023), and elite All-ACC safety Andrew Mukuba from Clemson.
And then the help for Ewers, a continuing process of building pieces around the star quarterback and giving him every opportunity to play at a high level.
Texas added WR Isaiah Bond and TE Amari Niblack from Alabama, and WRs Matthew Golden (Houston) and Silas Bolden (Oregon State). That’s 2 speedy options on the outside, a gifted slot receiver in Bolden, and an athletic matchup problem at tight end.
Every move was made with intent and purpose, not unlike what the Texas administration did by extending Sakisian and declaring its intentions. It’s a new time, a new day in the SEC.
And Texas is ready to fill the breach
